Spiritual Inspirations From Many Faiths
Aranged alphabetically by Faith or Denomination
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Biblical References to Animals
Hebrew Scriptures (Also known as the The Tenakh, or Torah, or Old Testament)
“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”—Genesis 1:20-25
“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the Earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”—Genesis 1:29-30
“When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I shall recall the covenant between myself and you and every living creature, in a word all living things, and never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all living things. When the bow is in the clouds I shall see it and call to mind the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth, that is, all living things. `That' God told Noah, `is the sign of the covenant I have established between myself and all living things on earth.”—Genesis 9:14-17
“For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. And ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.”—Leviticus 7:23-27
And the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. - Isaiah 11:6-9
I will make a covenant on behalf of Israel with the wild beasts, the birds of the air, and the things that creep on the hearths that all living creatures may lie down without living in fear. - Hosea 2:18
“A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal.”—Proverbs 12:10
“I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.”—Psalm 50:9-11
“...And who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.”—Psalm 136:25
His compassion is over all that He has made. - Psalms 145:9
You have only to ask the cattle, for them to instruct you, and the birds of the sky, for them to inform you. The creeping things of earth will give you lessons, and the fish of the sea provide you an explanation: there is not one such creature but will know that the hand of God has arranged things like this! In his hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of every human being!
- Job 12:7-10
“Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath, man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”—Ecclesiastes 3:19-21
There is a time for everything and a purpose under Heaven.
- Ecclesiates 3:1
Christian Scriptures (also known as the New Testament- see other readings below by denomination)
“Whatever you do unto the least of my brothers, you do it unto me.”—Matthew 25:40
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. - Luke 12:6
Buddhism
The Bodhisattva Vow
Whatever be the highest perfection of the human mind, may I realise it for the benefit of all living beings. Even though I may have to take upon myself all the sufferings of the world, I will not forsake my aim and my fellow creatures, in order to win salvation for myself only.
“Compassion is most important for happiness. We must treat fellow human beings as equal, that is very important, but also all beings who have capacity for feeling. So the innate desire for happiness that is the basis of human rights extends to all sentient beings, including animals and insects. There are now some individuals and organizations who care about animal rights and are showing concern about the suffering or torture of animals. I have noticed among ordinary people, out of their love and compassion, growing efforts for promotion of vegetarianism. These are the right kinds of expression of compassion, very positive and encouraging signs.”
~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama
“Life is as dear to the mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures."
~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama
“Today more than ever before life must be characterized by a sense of Universal Responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.”
~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama
“Never give up. No matter what is going on never give up. Develop the heart. Too much energy in your country is spent developing the mind instead of the heart, BE COMPASSIONATE not just to your friends but to everyone, BE COMPASSIONATE work for peace in your heart and in the world. Work for peace and I say again, never give up. No matter what is happening, no matter what is going on around you. Never give up.”
~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“Because he has pity on every living creature, therefore is a man called ‘holy’”.
~ Buddhism Dhammapada
Let him not destroy, or cause to be destroyed, any life at all, nor sanction the acts of those who do so. Let him refrain from even hurting any creature, both those that are strong and those that tremble in the world.
~ Sutta-Nipata
"Killing animals for sport, for pleasure, for adventures, and for hides and furs is a phenomenon which is at once disgusting and distressing. There is no justification in indulging in such acts of brutality. In our approach to life, be it pragmatic or otherwise, the ultimate truth that confronts us squarely and unmistakably is the desire for peace, security and happiness. Different forms of life in different aspects of existence make up the teeming denizens of this earth of ours. And, no matter whether they belong to the higher group as human beings or to the lower group, the animals, all beings primarily seek peace, comfort and security. Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures.”
~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama
“We must look deeply. When we buy something or consume something, we may be participating in an act of killing. This precept [non-killing] reflects our determination not to kill, either directly or indirectly, and also to prevent others from killing.”
~ The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Zen master) from Touching Peace: Practicing the Art of Mindful Living (1992)
“In every country in the world, killing human beings is condemned. The Buddhist precept of non-killing extends even further, to include all living beings.”
~ The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Zen master) from Interbeing: Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism (1983).
All living things fear being beaten with clubs.
All living things fear being put to death.
Putting oneself in the place of the other,
Let no one kill nor cause another to kill.
~ Dhammapada verse no. 129
Catholic/ Episcopal/ Anglican
All creatures have the same source as we have. Like us, they derive the life of thought, love, and will from the Creator. Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them; but to stop there is a complete misapprehension of the intentions of Providence. We have a higher mission. God wishes that we should succour them whenever they require it. —Francis of Assisi
“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”—Francis of Assisi
“All creatures are created from the same paternal heartbeat of God. Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop here is not enough. We have a higher mission – to be of service to them wherever they require it.” - St. Francis of Assisi
“Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission—to be of service to them wherever they require it.”—Francis of Assisi
My little sisters, the birds, much bounden are ye unto God, your Creator, and always in every place ought ye to praise Him, for that He hath given you liberty to fly about everywhere, and hath also given you double and triple rainment; moreover He preserved your seed in the ark of Noah, that your race might not perish out of the world; still more are ye beholden to Him for the element of the air which He hath appointed for you; beyond all this, ye sow not, neither do you reap; and God feedeth you, and giveth you the streams and fountains for your drink; the mountains and valleys for your refuge and the high trees whereon to make your nests; and because ye know not how to spin or sow, God clotheth you, you and your children; wherefore your Creator loveth you much, seeing that He hath bestowed on you so many benefits; and therefore, my little sisters, beware of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praises unto God.
~ Saint Francis of Assisi
Man's dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2415)
Animals are God's creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2416)
God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image. Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing.... Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2417)
It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly... (From Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2418)
Animals are entrusted to man's stewardship; he must show them kindness... (From Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2457)
“Cruelty to animals is as if man did not love God.” “Now what is it moves our very heart and sickens us so much as cruelty shown to poor brutes? I suppose this: first, that they have done us no harm; next, that they have no power whatever of resistance; it is the cowardice and tyranny of which they are the victims which make their sufferings so especially touching. … There is something so dreadful, so Satanic, in tormenting those who have never harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power.”
~ Cardinal John Henry Newman
“We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form.”
~ Rev. William Inge
“Animals are God's creatures, not human property, nor utilities, nor resources, nor commodities, but precious beings in God's sight…Christians whose eyes are fixed on the awfulness of crucifixion are in a special position to understand the awfulness of innocent suffering. The Cross of Christ is God's absolute identification with the weak, the powerless, and the vulnerable, but most of all with unprotected, undefended, innocent suffering.”— Reverend Dr. Andrew Linzey
“Christian theology provides some of the best arguments for respecting animal life and for taking seriously animals as partners with us within God's creation. It may be ironical that this tradition, once thought of as the bastion of human moral exclusivity, should now be seen as the seed-bed for a creative understanding of animal liberation.”
Rev. Dr. Andrew Linzey
God intends our care of the creation to reflect our love for the Creator."
Dr. John R. W. Stott
“Animals have done us no harm and they have no power of resistance.…There is something so very dreadful…in tormenting those who have never harmed us, who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power.”—Cardinal John Henry Newman
“Animals, as part of God’s creation, have rights which must be respected. It behooves us always to be sensitive to their needs and to the reality of their pain.”—Dr. Donald Coggan, former Archbishop of Canterbury
“They too, are created by the same loving hand of God which Created us...It is our duty to Protect Them and to promote their well-being.”—Mother Teresa
“Animals possess a soul and men must love and feel solidarity with our smaller brethren…the fruit of the creative action of the Holy Spirit and merit respect…as near to God as men are.” He reminded people that all living beings came into being because of the “breath” of God. He spoke of St. Francis’s love for animals declaring, “We, too, are called to a similar attitude.”—His Holiness Pope John Paul II.
“All things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man. ... God wants us to help animals, if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected.” “Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission - to be of service to them wherever they require it.” “If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their fellow men.”
~ St. Francis of Assisi
“The creatures of the sense world signify the invisible attributes of God, partly because God is the origin, exemplar and end of every creature, and every effect is a sign of its cause, the exemplification of the exemplar and the path to the end, to which it leads. ... For every creature is by its nature a kind of effigy and likeness of the eternal Wisdom. Therefore, open your eyes, alert the ears of your spirit, open your lips and apply your heart so that in all creatures you may see, hear, praise, love and worship, glorify and honor your God lest the whole world rise against you.”
~ St. Bonaventure
“Apprehend God in all things, for God is in all things. Every single creature is full of God and is a book about God. Every creature is a word of God.”
~ Meister Eckhart
“The awful wrongs and sufferings forced upon the innocent, faithful animal race, form the blackest chapter in the whole world's history.”
Edward Freeman
“And if your heart is straight with God, then every creature shall be to you a mirror of life and a book of holy doctrine, for there is no creature so little or so vile, that he does not represent the goodness of God.”
~ Thomas A Kempis
“The Utopians feel that slaughtering our fellow creatures gradually destroys the sense of compassion, which is the finest sentiment of which our human nature is capable.”
~ St. Sir Thomas More
“He that will not be merciful to his beast is a beast himself.”
~ Rev. Thomas Fuller
“The saints are exceedingly loving and gentle to mankind, and even to brute beasts ... Surely we ought to show them [animals] great kindness and gentleness for many reasons, but, above all, because they are of the same origin as ourselves.”
~ St. John Chrysostom
“Cruelty to dumb animals is one of the distinguishing vices of low and base minds. Wherever it is found, it is a certain mark of ignorance and meanness; a mark which all the external advantages of wealth, splendour, and nobility, cannot obliterate. It is consistent neither with learning nor true civility.”
~ Rev. William Jones
Christian (Nondenominational)
"The Bible's emphasis is on the good treatment of animals, and not just the forbidding of cruel treatment."
~ Rev. Billy Graham
“We should remember in our dealings with animals that they are a sacred trust to us from our Heavenly Father. They are dumb and cannot speak for themselves”—Harriet Beecher Stowe
From Meister Eckhardt (Christian Mystic)
Apprehend God in all things,
For God is in all things.
Every single creature is full of God
And is a book about God.
Every creature is a word of God.
If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature
Even a caterpillar –
I would never have to prepare a sermon.
So full of God
Is every creature.
Lend Me A Puppy
“I will lend to you for awhile a puppy,” God said,
“For you to love when she lives and to mourn when she’s dead.
Maybe for twelve or thirteen years, maybe for two or three,
However, will you, till I call her back, take care of her for me?
She’ll bring her charms to gladden you and should her stay be brief,
You’ll always have her memories as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise she will stay, since all from earth return.
But there are lessons taught below I want this pup to learn.
I’ve looked the whole world over in search for teachers true
And from the folk that crowd life’s land, I have chosen you.
Now will you give her all your love, nor think the labor vain?
Nor hate me when I come to take my dog back home again?
He fancied that he heard us say “Dear Lord, Thy will be done,
For all the joys this dog will bring, the risk of grief we’ll run.
We’ll shelter her with tenderness; we’ll love her while we may
And for the happiness we’ve known, forever-grateful stay.
But should You call her back to You much sooner than we’ve planned,
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes, and try to understand.
If by our love we’ve managed Your wishes to achieve
In memory of her we loved, please help us while we grieve.
When our faithful bundle departs this world of strife,
We’ll get yet another dog and love her all her life.”
In Honor Of Thunder
~ Anonymous Author
“ ...We may make our boast of Christianity; but cruelty is infidelity. We may trust our orthodoxy, but cruelty is the worst of heresies.”—Humphry Primatt
“I believe in my heart that faith in Jesus Christ can and will lead us beyond an exclusive concern for the well-being of other human beings to the broader concern for the well-being of the birds in our backyards, the fish in our rivers, and every living creature on the face of the earth.”
John Wesley (founder of the Methodist church)
Confucius/Taoism
“Respect the old and cherish the young. Even insects, grass and trees you must not hurt”. T’ai-shang kan-ying p’ien, a Confucian-Taoist treatise. Attributed to Ko Hung
“For hundreds of thousands of years the stew in the pot has brewed hatred and resentment that is difficult to stop. If you wish to know why there are disasters of armies and weapons in the world, listen to the piteous cries from the slaughter house at midnight.”—Ancient Chinese verse
Hinduism
“I want to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the beings called human, but I want to realize identity with all life, even with such things as crawl upon earth.”—Mahatma Gandhi
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated…I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by [people] from the cruelty of [human kind]”—Mahatma Gandhi
“To my mind the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to the protection by man from the cruelty of man.”—Mahatma Gandhi
“I abhor vivisection with my whole soul. All the scientific discoveries stained with innocent blood I count as of no consequence.”—Mahatma Gandhi
“Life is life—whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage.”—Sri Aurobindo
“What is religion? Compassion for all things, which have life.” Hitopadesa
One is dearest to God who has no enemies among the living beings, who is nonviolent to all creatures.”
~ Bhagavad Gita (Hindu scriptures)
“Non-injury, truthfulness, freedom from theft, lust, anger and greed, and an effort to do what is agreeable and beneficial to all creatures - this is the common duty of all castes. … To be non-violent to human beings and to be a killer or enemy of the poor animals is Satan's philosophy. In this age there is always enmity against poor animals and therefore the poor creatures are always anxious. The reaction of the poor animals is being forced on human society and therefore there is always the strain of cold or hot war between men, individually, collectively or nationally."
~ Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.6
“I have enforced the law against killing certain animals and many others, but the greatest progress of righteousness among men comes from the exhortation in favour of non-injury to life and abstention from killing all living beings.”
~ King Asoka of India
"Good men extend their pity, even unto the most despicable animals. The moon does not withhold the light, even from the cottage of a Chandala [outcast]. … Those who have forsaken the killing of all; those who are helpmates to all; those who are a sanctuary to all; those men are in the way of heaven. … Not to kill is a supreme duty … What is religion? Compassion for all things which have life."
Hitopadesa
Islam
“A good deed done to an animal is as meritorious as a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is a bad as an act of cruelty to a human being.”—Prophet Mohammed
“There is not an animal on the earth, nor a flying creature on two wings, but they are people like unto you.”— Qur’an
According to the Quran (Koran), the cat is the essence of purity. A cat hospital was Built in Bab-el Nasz and it was considered a blessing to bring food to the patients. It is unlawful to chase cats from Mosques. ~ From the Prayers for Paws website
“A good deed done to an animal is as meritorious as a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human being."
~ The Prophet Mohammed
Jain
“One who harms animals, directly or indirectly, has not understood deeds of sin…those whose minds are at peace and who are free from passions do not desire to live at the expense of others.”—Jainism
“Non-injury to living beings is the highest religion.”—Jainism
"Unless we live with non-violence and reverence for all living beings in our hearts, all our humaneness and acts of goodness, all our vows, virtues, and knowledge, all our practices to give up greed and acquisitiveness are meaningless and useless." “He who harms animals has not understood or renounced deeds of sin... Those whose minds are at peace and who are free from passions do not desire to live at the expense of others.”
~ Mahavira (Hindu teacher, founder of Jainism)
“Non-injury to all living beings is the only religion.” (first truth of Jainism) “In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self, and should therefore refrain from inflicting upon others such injury as would appear undesirable to us if inflicted upon ourselves.” “This is the quintessence of wisdom; not to kill anything. All breathing, existing, living sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away. This is the pure unchangeable Law. Therefore, cease to injure living things.” “All living things love their life, desire pleasure and do not like pain; they dislike any injury to themselves; everybody is desirous of life and to every being, his life is very dear.”
~ Yogashastra
Judaism (See also Biblical above)
If the Torah had not been given to Israel, we could have learned modesty from the cat, intimacy from the dove, respect from the rooster, and integrity from the ant." ~ The Talmud
Treat no creature lighty and think no thing is useless, for everything has a moment and everything has its place". ~ Pirke Avot 4:3
“Living creatures possess a moving soul and a certain spiritual superiority which in this respect make them similar to those who possess intellect (people) and they have the power of affecting their welfare and their food and they flee from pain and death.”
Rabbi Nachmanides (1194-1270) (philosopher, physician, Kabalah scholar, mystic)
“An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language.”— Spiritual Zionist, Martin Buber
“We cannot treat any living thing callously, and we are responsible for what happens to other beings, human or animal, even if we do not personally come into contact with them.”
~ Rabbi Pinchas Peli
From Einstein: (Although Einstein was a secular Jew, his Jewishness influenced much of his work.)
“It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.”—Albert Einstein
“Our task must be to free ourselves— by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”—Albert Einstein
How different species/spiritual communities can interact with each other----
I may not be able to participate in your games and rituals,
but I may be able to help you enjoy them.
In this way, I can also derive satisfaction.
~ Rabbi Brad Hirschfield
“The Torah teaches a lesson in moral conduct, that man shall not eat meat unless he has a special craving for it...and shall eat it only occasionally and sparingly.” “Adam was not permitted meat for purposes of eating.”
The Babylonian Talmud
“The tzaddik (righteous person) acts according to the laws of justice; not only does he act according to these laws with human beings, but also with animals.”
~ Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel
“It should not be believed that all beings exist for the sake of the existence of man. On the contrary, all the other beings too have been intended for their own sakes and not for the sake of anything else.” “[Regarding animals and their offspring], there is no difference between the pain of humans and the pain of other living beings, since the love and tenderness of the mother for the young are not produced by reasoning, but by feeling, and this faculty exists not only in humans but in most living beings.”
~ Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (aslo known as Maimonides or abbreviated as "Rambam")
“Here you are faced with G-d's teaching, which obliges you not only to refrain from inflicting unnecessary pain on any animal, but to help and, when you can, to lessen the pain whenever you see an animal suffering, even through no fault of yours. … As G-d is merciful, so you also be merciful. As he loves and cares for all His creatures and His children and are related to Him, because He is their Father, so you also love all His creatures as your brethren. Let their joys be your joys, and their sorrows yours. Love them and with every power which G-d gives you, work for their welfare and benefit, because they are the children of your G-d, because they are your brothers and sisters.”
~ Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch
“The progress of dynamic ideals will not be eternally blocked. Through general, moral and intellectual advancement... shall the latent aspiration of justice for the animal kingdom come out into the open, when the time is ripe.”
~ Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hacohen Kook
“In the killing of animals there is cruelty, rage, and the accustoming of oneself to the bad habit of shedding innocent blood.”
~ Rabbi Joseph Albo
“It is forbidden, according to the law of the Torah, to inflict pain upon any living creature. On the contrary, it is our duty to relieve the pain of any creature, even if it is ownerless or belongs to a non-Jew.”
~ The Code of Jewish Law
Factoid: The modern state of Israel has a greater percentage of religious vegetarians than any nation in world.
Mormon/LDS
“We crossed the Embarras River and encamped on a small branch of the same about one mile west. In pitching my tent we found three massasaugas or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, ‘Let them alone—don’t hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless, before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.’”
~ Joseph Smith (1805 – 1844) (founder of Mormonism)
In Moses 3:5 it states:
For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.
In the book 'Sacred Truths of the Doctrine and Covenants' we read: The spirits of animals are in the likeness of their bodies. The spirit is eternal and does not change. The spirit of an elephant looks like an elephant; the spirit of man looks like a man. This is true of all creatures under Heaven. Therefore, the body of the creature cannot change and evolve into something different and still look like its spirit. This principle is simply stated by the Lord that there might not be misunderstandings. ~ Sacred Truths of the Doctrine and Covenants Vol. II, p. 38
The Prophet Joseph Smith in regards to those people who do not believe in the salvation of animals (he is referring to Revelations 5:13-14). Says one, "I cannot believe in the salvation of beasts." Any man who would tell you that this could not be, would tell you that the revelations are not true. John heard the words of the beasts giving glory to God, and understood them. God who made the beasts could understand every language spoken by them. The four beasts were four of the most noble animals that had filled the measure of their creation, and had been saved from other worlds, because they were perfect: they were like angels in their sphere. We are not told where they came from, and I do not know; but they were seen and heard by John praising and glorifying God. ~ Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 291
We should by every means in our power impress upon the rising generation the value of life and how dreadful a sin it is to take life. The lives of animals even should be held far more sacred than they are. Young people should be taught to be very merciful to the brute creation and not to take life wantonly or for sport. The practice of hunting and killing game merely for sport should be frowned upon and not encouraged among us. God has created the fowls and the beasts for man's convenience and comfort and for his consumption at proper times and under proper circumstances; but he does not justify men in wantonly killing those creatures which He has made and with which He has supplied the earth. ~ GOSPEL TRUTH, p. 24
Every child that is brought into contact with animals should be taught, by parents and by all who attempt to instruct the young, that it is a very great sin in the sight of the Almighty for the dumb creation to be treated with cruelty or even with neglect. A merciful man is merciful to his beast. A good master will see that his animals are fed and cared for, if they have been performing labor, before he himself sits down to food or to take rest. A merciful man who loves the animals which he owns and uses would not be contented to sit down to eat if he knew his horses or his cows were hungry and uncared for. He would see that they had food and water and were protected from the inclemency of the weather as much as they possibly could be before he could enjoy his own food and drink and comfort. This same feeling should be impressed upon the minds of all children so that no animal that is in their care may be neglected. (Feb. 15, 1899, JI 34:113-14) ~ GOSPEL TRUTH, p. 457
Don't destroy animal life. Our religion teaches us that human life is most sacred and should not be wantonly taken. The Lord also has spoken with great plainness concerning the animal creation. The beasts, fowls and fishes are all the creation of His power and their lives are precious in His sight. No properly constituted person will lightly take the life of any creature; and every girl should be taught that it is wrong to adorn herself with feathers obtained from the slaughter of birds. Animals, fowls and fish are created for the use of man; but their lives should not be wasted. They are to supply the wants of man, not to be slaughtered for mere amusement or for the gratification of vanity. ~ GOSPEL TRUTH, p. 456
Native American
“Every animal knows more than you do.”—Native American Proverb
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.
--- Chief Seattle
“What is a man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die form great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man.”—Chief Seattle
“The Earth does not belong to man; Man belongs to the Earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”—Chief Seattle
“Is not the sky a father and the earth a mother, and are not all living things with feet or wings or roots their children?; Hear me, four quarters of the world…a relative I am! Give me the strength to walk the soft Earth, a relative to all that is,…all over the Earth, the faces of living things are all alike.”—John G. Neihardt in Black Elk Speaks
“We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees.”—Qwatsinas
This we know.
The earth does not belong to people:
People belong to the earth.
This we know. All things are connected
Like the blood which unites one family.
All things are connected.
Whatever befalls the earth
Befalls the children of the earth.
People did not weave the web of life,
They are merely a strand in it.
Whatever they do to the web,
They do to themselves.
Chief Seattle (adapted)
Presbyterian
“The brute animals have all the same sensations of pain as human beings, and consequently endure as much pain when their body is hurt; but in their case the cruelty of torment is greater, because they have no mind to bear them up against their sufferings, and no hope to look forward to when enduring the last extreme pain.”
~ Rev. Thomas Chalmers
Quaker
All species and the Earth itself have interdependent roles within Creation. Humankind is not the species to whom all others are subservient, but one among many. All parts, all issues, are inextricably intertwined. Indeed, the web of creation could be described as of three-ply thread: wherever we touch it we affect justice and peace and the health of all everywhere. So all our testimonies, all our Quaker work, all our Quaker lives are part of one process, of striving towards a flourishing, just and peaceful Creation - the Kingdom of God.
~ Quaker Faith & Practice 25.04
Everything that lives is holy.
Life delights in life.
William Blake.
And it would go a great way to caution
And direct people in their use of the
World if they studied and learned more
Of its creation.
For how could men find the conscience to
Abuse it, while they see the great
Creator in all and every part of it?
~ William Penn.
“I believe that where the true spirit of government is watchfully attended to, a tenderness toward all creatures will be experienced, and a care felt in us that we do not lessen that sweetness of life in the animal creation which the Great Creator intends for them under our government.”
~ John Woolman
“The sooner we recognize the fact that the mercy of the Almighty extends to every creature endowed with life, the better it will be for us as men and Christians.”
~ John Greenleaf Whittier
Secular Quotes and Readings
The Rainbow Bridge (Author Unknown)
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor.
Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
Animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent.
His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs are carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous union, never to be parted again. The happy kisses run upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
****************************
I Am the Voice of the Voiceless
by Poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox
I am the voice of the voiceless;
Through me the dumb shall speak,
Till a deaf world's ear,
Shall be made to hear,
The wrongs of the wordless weak.
The same force formed the sparrow,
That fashioned man, the king.
The God of the Whole,
Gave a spark of soul,
To furred and feathered thing.
And I am my brother's keeper,
And I will fight his fight,
And speak the word,
For beast and bird.
Till the world shall set things right.
****************************
TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR PET GUARDIANS
Author Unknown
1.My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be very painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want from me. Do not break my spirit with your temper, though I will always forgive you. Your patience and understanding will teach me more quickly those things you want me to learn.
3. Have me spayed or neutered.
4. Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful than mine. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment. After all, you have your job, your friends, your entertainment. I have only you.
5. Speak to me often. Even if I don't understand all your words, I understand your voice when it's speaking to me. Your voice is the sweetest sound I ever hear, as you must know by my enthusiastic excitement when your footsteps fall upon my waiting ear.
6. Please take me inside when it's cold and wet. I'm a domestic animal and am no longer accustomed to the bitter elements. I ask for little more than your gentle hands petting me. Keep my bowl filled with clean water; I cannot tell you when I'm thirsty. Feed me good food so that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to be by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to share with you my life, for that is what I live for. However you treat me, I'll never forget it.
7. Don't hit me. Remember, I have teeth that could easily crush your bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I am not getting the right food, I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart may be getting old and weak.
9. Take care of me when I get old. You will grow old too.
10. When I am very old, when I no longer enjoy good health, please do not make heroic efforts just to keep me going, I am not having fun. Just see to it that my trusting life is taken gently. And be with me on that difficult journey when it is time to say goodbye. Never say, "I can't bear to watch". Everything is easier for me when you are there.
************
I am sometimes asked "Why do you spent so much of your time and money talking about kindness to animals when there is so much cruelty to men?" I answer: "I am working at the roots."
~ George Angell
“The moral duty of man consists of imitating the moral goodness and beneficence of God manifested in the creation towards all his creatures. Everything of persecution and revenge between man and man, and everything of cruelty to animals is a violation of moral duty.”
~ Thomas Paine (1737-1809) (American patriot and philosopher)
“If [man] is not to stifle his human feelings, he must practice kindness towards animals, for he who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”
~ Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) (German philosopher, preeminent modern ethicist)
Love animals. God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled. Do not trouble their joy, do not haress them, do not deprive them of their happiness, do not work against God's intent. Man, do not pride yourself on your superioity to animals. They are without sin...
~ Dostoesky
Heaven is by favor. If it were by merit, your dog would stay in... and you would not.
~ Mark Twain
"If a man aspires a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals. ~ Leo Tolstoy
“An infallible characteristic of meanness is cruelty. Men who have practiced tortures on animals without pity, relating them without shame, how can they still hold their heads among human beings?”
~ Samuel Johnson
“I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being.”—Abraham Lincoln
“I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.”—Abraham Lincoln
“There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to beasts as well as man it is all a sham.”—Anna Sewell (author of Black Beauty)
“We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.”—Anna Sewell
"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."
~ Thomas Edison
“The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been withheld from them but by the hand of tyranny. . . a full-grown horse or dog is beyond comparison a more rational, as well as a more conversable animal, than an infant of a day, or a week or even a month old. But suppose the case were otherwise, what would it avail? The question is not, can they reason? Nor can they talk? But, can they suffer? Why should the law refuse its protection to any sensitive being? The time will come when humanity will extend its mantle over everything which breathes...”
~ Jeremy Bentham
“Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself.”
~ James Froude
“We should remember in our dealings with animals that they are a sacred trust to us from our heavenly Father.”
~ Harriet Beecher Stowe
“Human dignity begins to assert itself only at the point where man is distinguishable from the beast by pity for it.”
~ Richard Wagner
True benevolence, or compassion, extends itself through the whole of existence and sympathizes with the distress of every creature capable of sensation.”
Joseph Addison
“The obligations of law and equity reach only to mankind; but kindness and beneficence should be extended to the creatures of every species, and these will flow from the breast of a true man, as streams that issue from the living fountain.”—Plutarch
“Though boys throw stones at frogs in sport, the frogs do not die in sport, but in earnest.”—Bion, “Water and Land Animals” Plutarch
“As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower livings beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”—Pythagoras
“Animals share with us the privilege of having a soul.”—Pythagoras
“The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.”—Hippocrates
“At the moment our human world is based on the suffering and destruction of millions of non-humans. To perceive this and to do something to change it in personal and public ways is to undergo a change of perception akin to a religious conversion. Nothing can ever be seen in quite the same way again because once you have admitted the terror and pain of other species you will, unless you resist conversion, be always aware of the endless permutations of suffering that support our society."
~ Sir Arthor Conan Doyle
The Original Starfish Story found in ”Star Thrower,” a collection of essays by the naturalist and writer Loren Eiseley 1978
“One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, ‘What are you doing?’
The youth replied, ‘Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.’
‘ Son,’ the man said, ‘don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!’
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…‘I made a difference for that one.’”
"Cruelty to animals is one of the most significant vices of a low and ignoble people."
~ Alexander von Humboldt
“One cannot watch chimpanzee infants for long without realizing that they have the same emotional need for affection and reassurance as human children.”—Jane Goodall
“I have developed a deep respect for animals. I consider them fellow living creatures with certain rights that should not be violated any more than those of humans.”—Jimmy Stewart actor
“Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!”—Theophile Gautier
“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.”—Gilda Radner
“The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western cruelty and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.”
Arthur Sehopenhauer
“A Robin Redbreast in a cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage.”— William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
“Kindness to all God's creatures is an absolute rock-bottom necessity if peace and righteousness are to prevail.”
~ Sir Wilfred Grenfell
“When I lost my way, I was accustomed to throw the reins on his neck, and he always discovered places where I, with all my observation and boasted superior knowledge, could not.”—Napoleon Bonaparte about his horse Marengo
“The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest.”—Henry David Thoreau
“Animal life, somber mystery. All nature protests against the barbarity of man, who misapprehends, who humiliates, who tortures his inferior brethren.”
~ Jules Michelet
“The indifference, callousness and contempt that so many people exhibit toward animals is evil first because it results in the great suffering of animals, and second because it results in an incalculably great impoverishment of the human spirit.”
~ Dr. Ashley Montagu
"Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is--whether its victim is human or animal--we cannot expect things to be much better in this world... We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing we set back the progress of humanity."
~ Rachel Carson
“A mouse is miracle enough to stagger sextillions of infidels.”—Walt Whitman
“How can I teach your children gentleness and mercy to the weak, and reverence for life, which in its nakedness and excess, is still a gleam of God’s omnipotence, when by your laws, your actions and your speech, you contradict the very things I teach?”—Henry W. Longfellow
“The fate of animals is of greater importance to me than the fear of appearing ridiculous.”—Emile Zola
“The reasons for legal intervention in favour of children apply not less strongly to the case of those unfortunate slaves and victims of the most brutal part of mankind - the animals.” (In discussing the need for child labor laws)
~ John Stuart Mill
“Moral progress has consisted in the main of protest against cruel customs, and of attempts to enlarge human sympathy.”—Bertrand Russel
“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”—Thomas A. Edison
“If man is not to stifle human feelings, he must practice kindness to animals, for He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” —Immanuel Kant
“Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in…man is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain.”— Mark Twain
“It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.”— Mark Twain
